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Illmatic, Enter The Wu Tang, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, The Infamous, Reasonable Doubt, Ready To Die, Mecca And The Soul Brother, Tical, Lifestyles Ov Da Poor N Dangerous, Doe Or Die, The Low End Theory.
I’m hoping these albums strike some sort of chord with you. They should do. They form part of the 1990’s best hip-hop records ever released, never mind just East Coast. I’ve read countless blogs, Amazon lists, Wikipedia articles, Last.fm pages, magazines and books where these albums feature almost predictably on everyone’s (mine included) “best of’s”, “albums to listen before you die” and “real hip-hop” playlists and no doubt will continue to as long as hip-hop remains in existence.
My point? What about those undeniable records of genius simply overshadowed by the above? The ones which fell victim not to the quality of the music itself, but merely the timing of its release. In an industry today where even the truly beautiful flowers are unable to rise above the magnitude of towering weeds, how impossible would it have been for such a flower to rise above a 100ft tree full in blossom? Put it this way, I wouldn’t have wanted my release date on April 19th 1994.
This is part one of an assortment of underrated hip-hop records from the 1990’s, carefully handpicked and selected for you by myself. → Continue Reading Sleeping With Open Eyes: Part 1
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Killah Priest is a busy boy. It seems only weeks ago since he dropped Elizabeth and matter of fact, doesn’t seem that long ago since I was bumping Beautiful Minds with Chief Kamachi. Having been kindly sent an advance copy (no you can’t have it) of The 3 Day Theory I feel it is only right to do the man the justice he deserves by way of a comprehensive review.
Teaming up with the classic Gun 4 Gun producer Kount Fif, Priest ensures that production is all coming from the same page which in fact could be a double-edged sword; will 3 Day Theory be seamlessly integrated or painfully repetitive? The answer? Well somewhere in-between actually. In this case though it is far from a bad thing. Read on. → Continue Reading Killah Priest-The 3 Day Theory Review
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With the pending release of Anberlin’s 4th studio album, this throwback looks at Feel Good Drag which was released as a single from their most recent album New Surrender.
Pretty smashing tune, bordering between pop-punk and heavier rock.
That’s all I’ve got to say, Honduras vs. Chile has my attention at the moment.
You can also download the audio below.
Anberlin- Feel Good Drag
So this evening I find myself in my garden, with the rare pleasure of UK sun and a certain eagerly anticipated mixtape; none other than Royce Da 5’9”s The Bar Exam 3.
After the industry’s mostly favourable response to last year’s Street Hop LP Royce has continually drip leaked us tracks from TBE3 to keep us salivating for the full effort. Unlike other artists in the game who drop a half-hearted mixtape endeavour to promote an upcoming album, TBE3 proves Royce’s commitment to his fans and most won’t be disappointed here.
→ Continue Reading Royce Da 5’9″ – The Bar Exam 3 Mixtape + Review
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No, not from me unfortunately for you. Our friends over at 365 Albums A Year have delivered a fantastic review of the album which sums up my feelings on the album pretty well, with a few minor differences. Must-read if you enjoyed the album!
Distant Relatives Review
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In case you missed Rae’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II when it dropped last September then after sorting your life out, please find below my favourite joint from the album.
I always think Cold Outside is directly comparable with Rainy Dayz from the album’s father LP; again my favourite track. It features a cold, harrowing beat which Rae and Ghost lay some smooth rhymes all tied together by upcomer Suga Bang Bang.
Some of our favourite people on the Internet over at 365 Albums A Year have put together a fantastic review of Rae’s already-hailed classic. Make sure you check it out.
Raekwon (feat Ghostface & Suga Bang Bang) – Cold Outside
As the much anticipated follow-up to Antidotes, the potential for greatness here is undeniable! The drooling populous teased by the band members vague preamble and this teaser site, TFL could prove to be one of the most influential albums of the upcoming decade.
Hitting shelves and iTunes everywhere on Monday 10th of May, Total Life Forever WILL rock your world. Read on to find out why.
→ Continue Reading Album Review: Foals-Total Life Forever
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Bit of an album throwback here, after a few of the tracks popped up on my Top Rated shuffle on my iPod whilst I was writing my dissertation (10,900 words in 15 days, with a week in Amsterdam in between; BOOM!). Before I knew it, I’d sacked off the shuffle and was listening to the album in its entirety.
Released in 2005, to paraphrase Tim “the Big Dog” Westwood “it’s off the meat rack, POW POW POW!”.
Ring the bell: school’s in, suckers.
→ Continue Reading Punk Pop Throwback: The Academy Is…- Almost Here Review
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As you well know by now, I don’t write album/mixtape reviews or feature articles unless it’s something very worthwhile. It’s a lot of time and dedication for me, so you know there’s a damn good reason behind it right? Right.
OTU followers will be familiar with this duo (and all you newcomers need to get educated, fast). We’ve followed them for quite some time, and they’ve really stepped their game up in the last 2/3 months with this remix project. If you’ve missed any of the utterly awesome remixes they’ve put out, click on to find the links for recapping.
Anywho, it’s time to unleash the entire project. 18 tracks of fantastic music from an unbelievable (you’ll agree, trust me!) range of genres that will cement these guys as ones to watch for 2010. If you don’t have time for the review, you can download the mixtape here. If you do, click on.
→ Continue Reading Fly Gypsy-FG*XL:remixtape Review and Download
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Those of you who have followed Murray’s Throwback Thursdays (which I expect is all of you by now) should be familiar with AZ. If you aren’t, consider yourself an idiot and get educated here.
Our colleagues over at 365 Albums A Year reviewed AZ’s Murray-acclaimed 1995 Doe or Die album, and it’s definitely worth a read for fans of his work/our own Throwback Thursdays.
AZ-Doe or Die Review
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Dropping new Mickey Factz before anyone else in this fine country, so take advantage. (EDIT: They’ve probably caught up now as I’ve opted to write a review.)
This is an 8-track mixtape/EP, which is unlike anything Mickey has done before in terms of concept.
“While the world awaits the sun to rise to begin life, we await it to fall to become alive. The shadows is our solitude and catalyst for true art and thought. Amongst it, we are not damned nor idolized. Therefore we can only be true to ourselves. And from that, the world will eventually seek light and understanding. – The Dark Phoenix”
Click on to grab the music, and read the review!
→ Continue Reading Mickey Factz-thedarkphoenix: #ALPHA Review and Download
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Firstly, apologies for the quiet day on here. I’m having some issues with the back-end of things, and it’s going a lot slower than usual. Hopefully, normal service will resume in the next hour or so.
Right, onto this post: I get through a lot of albums weekly, and unfortunately just don’t have the time to do as many reviews as I’d like. They take a huge amount of time, which is pretty hard to come by. Don’t fret though, as I will have some coming up very soon (the assignments are nearly done!) and to tie you over I’ve written some mini-reviews on albums I’ve given a spin recently. Click below to swarm yourself in my warped opinions.
→ Continue Reading Some (Very) Brief Album Reviews
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Here goes another review. This time I take Quietdrive’s new EP for a spin, which will actually be the first rock/alternative review we’ve had since re-launching as a .com.
I’ve had a whirlwind romance with Quietdrive, having been introduced to them a little over a year ago. At the time, I was fully back into hip-hop, so for these guys to pull me back towards alternative music was a testament to the quality of their music. Alternative heads will be clicking on I’m sure, but I recommend that urban music followers give this a read too. Isn’t that the whole point of this site?
→ Continue Reading Quietdrive-Close Your Eyes EP Review
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This could prove to be my most difficult review to date. Apologies for the delay on this.
How do you review a piece of music that is supposed to be treated as a ‘movie’?
Well, I figured it out. Click below to hop along on Kid Cudi’s emotional rollercoaster.
→ Continue Reading Kid Cudi-Man On The Moon: The End of Day Review
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Looks like it’s time to dust off the brain, and get stuck into a review.
In an environment full of meaningless, formulaic and homogeneous R&B, there are one or two artists who still try to stick true to what the genre is supposed to be all about.
Step forward Trey Songz. Already two albums deep, Trey’s phenomenal natural gift is back on show with his third effort, Ready.
→ Continue Reading Trey Songz-Ready Review
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Hot on the heels of the news/track we brought you on Monday, and the official release on Tuesday, comes the review of Escape Route.
I’m delighted that Joe chose to switch this from a short EP to a full-length album. It’s always good to have a body of material from him, and much like his previous releases, this doesn’t disappoint. Click below for the review!
→ Continue Reading Joe Budden-Escape Route Review
Are you sick of “explicit, AutoTune-coated R&B”? Do you miss organic music made using real instruments and a voice?
You’re not the only one. For once, those who shape the charts have done some good, and Maxwell’s first release since 2001 (8 years is a LONG time in music!) went straight to #1 in the USA.
Whether you’ve heard of Maxwell or not, click below, if only for the sake of good music and broadening your horizons.
→ Continue Reading Maxwell: A Review of A Potential Classic
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Before I start I’d just like to give a shout out to a good friend of mine who was involved in an accident yesterday, and is now recovering in the hospital – get well soon Annie!
Following on from one of my previous posts, today sees the release of the much anticipated album from Maino. Coming from a select few of Brooklyn MC’s (Saigon, Papoose etc.) who have been on the mixtape scene for the last 5 years or so, Maino is the first one of these rappers to have his album (If Tomorrow Comes) actually released!
→ Continue Reading If Tomorrow Comes – Album Review.
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